The Multi-Faceted Sculptures of Yoshitoshi Kanemaki

Japanese sculptor Yoshitoshi Kanemaki has found an unusual niche: He likes to take a giant piece of wood – often a long – and turn it into a very unusual sculpture. Among his strangest conceptions include people with multiple faces (which seems to be something of a preoccupation), and a man with the upper half of a skeleton’s torso covering his face. There is a real ‘urban folk tale’ feel here, with Kanemaki’s work evoking mythical legends, such as the myth of the Wendigo, and various twelve-headed gods (if ever there were such a thing). How you feel about his art will come down to personal discretion, but it is easy to see his pieces as surreal, disturbing, enchanting, haunting, beautiful, dark, nightmarish, dreamy and fantastical – all at the same time. Put it this way, if the idea of wooden Siamese twins freaks you out, you might prefer to look away now. Any who is a little bit curious – continue.